potential $10 billion U.S.
Boeing is confident that its HH-47 rotorcraft will be reconfirmed as the winner of the
potential $10 billion U.S. Air Force combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) competition. But even without adding the 141 helicopters required for CSAR, the evergreen Chinook looks set for at least two more decades of production for the U.S. Army and international customers.
The three competing bidders for CSAR are required to submit their revised proposals by tomorrow. Last November, Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky protested the choice of the HH-47 over their rival submissions, respectively the US 101 version of AgustaWestland’s EH 101 and the HH-92 derivative of the S-92. Boeing’s bid was based on the MH-47G version of the Chinook, which is already in service with U.S. Army Special Forces. Its argument that the US 101 or the S-92 would need significant development to meet the CSAR requirement for terrain following and avoidance evidently played well in the Pentagon’s evaluation. But Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky argued for a lighter and more agile helicopter for this mission; Sikorsky claimed the lowest life-cycle costs for its contender.
